Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

I took it as a PM being sent without using the feature...to remind someone it's there and they need to use it.  At their earliest convenience of course.  But I could be wrong.

Nope, I've tried to decypher that and it still makes no sense.

First time I've ever seen "decipher" spelt that way. Must have changed since I was at school.

I think you'll find that the way you spell decypher has changed to decipher since you were at school, as decipher is the American spelling that is becoming more commonly used in British English. 

I can honestly say I've never seen it spelt "decypher", anywhere.

Let's just agree to differ!

[tikay]

while we're on planes, just seen that an air europa flight from glasgow has skidded off the runway in lanzarote and nearly ended up in the sea. a lot of lucky scots on that one

Fuss about nowt - he had loads of spare runway left.....

[tikay]

   Tikay in years gone by pre 9/11 i was allowed(B.A engineer)to take people on tours round the hangars at Hatton Cross,with full access to any of our aircraft Concorde included,you would have loved it seeing a 747 stripped down it's a great sight.However security now prevents this it's such a shame as i know someone like you with an apprecation of engineering would have enjoyed this.If this ever changes i will invite you down and when i get back from my holidays(HKG-staff travel FTW) i will get you some pictures of the airbus if you like.

Yes please! (A380 pics). The A380 must be huge, but it seems quite plain to me, almost ugly, compared to the iconic 747 with it's "bulge".

As you probably know, the picture I Posted was of the BA Maintenance Facility (or part of) at Heathrow, which is right adjacent the Eastern Perimeter Road. That's a Public Highway, & I was a little surprised to see a 747 so close to the public, so to speak. Usually, there is a Concorde parked there, but that seems to have gone now. I was there again this morning, & the 747 had gone, too.

The 747 is such a magnificent beast. Incredible safety record - most of those lost have been due to terrorism or such like. On take off, as they ascend, they have that lovely engine "whine". I assume that the BA 747's are RB-211 powered - or I hope they are!

In my construction days, in Civil Engineering, I did almost non-stop work at the Rolls Royce Facility in Derby (Victory Road, Sinfin) & their Test facility in Hucknall. Security was much more relaxed in those days, & I was a familiar face, so I pretty much had carte blanche to wander at will. The RB-211 was being tested in those days, (is it a Trent variant?), & I'd spend hours & hours just looking at those massive engines "on test". They would run an engine non-stop for days on end, incredible.

I'm a bit geeky with these things.

[tikay]

I'm recording a Show tonight, for tx next Tuesday & Wednesday I think, & I have the "Presenter" Role, only the 2nd time I've ever done that.

So I've just finished (get this) "doing my script", hehe.

In fact, I have not scripted myself at all, I've just inputted a series of 1 & 2 word prompts, & I'll ad-lib off them. I pity the poor Producer, he'll have a nightmare time, because the Pro Presenters all write proper scripts, but that just won't work for me, I'll be totally wooden. It'll get hairy at the very end, because the Show finishes with a hard count, "stop talking in 30/29/28 seconds" sort of thing, & it'd be a bit of a no-no to come up short, or "talk-over" the end. But the Producer trusts me (sort of), & we'll be OK, I'm sure. Nothing ventured.....

The script inputting is done on a quite clever bit of software called ENPS - Electronic News Production System - and even I was able to use it at first time of asking. I think it's a pretty standard piece of kit that all the News programmes use.

From there, it goes off in all directions doing clever stuff, but essentially, it produces a "running order". It also comes up on the Autocue Screen which is beneath 3 of the 4 cameras in the Studio. (it goes on each "pedestal" camera, but not on the jib-jobbie).

Amazing, even at my age, I can learn new skills, ENPS inputting & such-like. But not master them.

[tikay]

Just going back to the Rolls-Royce Engine Testing Facility at Hucknall, I now learn it was closed down earlier this year - Rolls-Royce Aero engines are now tested in America! How weird is that? But with half of RR's Aero-Engine output going to Boeing, I guess it adds up.

I can only imagine that's for noise/environmental reasons - the USA has vast expanses of open land better-suited I suppose.

[tikay]

On Monday I got invited to sit on on a Consultancy meeting about TV Legalities - it was immensely complex, & my eyes were glazing over at times.

TV Channels do not get to choose where in the ENG they reside, it's all very complex.

As to what Channels can, & cannot do, or say, well, that's just a bloody minefield, & it's no wonder there are so many issues with those phone-in type shows, where the Production companies fiddle the numbers.

The rules & regs must have been drafted by the Legal profession, with the sole purpose of generating more downstream business for themselves. There are laws, regulations, advisories, & worst of all (miost susceptible to ambiguity), "voluntary agreements". An absolute legal nightmare.

[tikay]

On Tuesday, I got my Blog written up, & it took some time. It's part "poker tales", & part "come play on our site", & it's quite difficult making what amounts to corporate spam, reader-friendly.

In the course of researching some stuff for it, I opened up the Sky Poker Cash-Tables, & who should be sat there, grinding it out on 4 Tables, was Jen.

We chatted, & that was that, as I planned to head home. But then I realised it was snowing, the M1 was closed by an accident, & snow further north. A call from Compo closely followed, "I've got a pass, (the only Pass he ever does) what we doing tonight?". So, one thing led to another, & I agreed I'd see him at The Western at 8pm, & I talked Jen into coming along.

I'm a bit nervous about The Western, & have not been there for a year or more. I hear so many stories, but to be honest, I've never seen anything amiss.

We played the £100 freezeout - about 50 runners I think - & I exited about halfway. It was 100-200, & it went Raise to 700, Call, & I shoved for my total 6k with A-K. Of course they will both Pass. Call, Call, & I was up against 3-3, & 5-5, & that was that.

Compo did a little better, & Jen finalled. Standard. It was great to see Jen, I've not seen her for ages, but sadly, neither she, Compo or myself, got to share a Table. If you want a fun Table, either of those two will do nicely.

[tikay]

Fool that I am, I sat in the "big" Cash-Game at The Western after exiting the Tourney, & pulled up a rather meagre-looking £1,000 - everyone else was sitting with £5k & £6k!

It's Pot-Limit, & the very first hand I found Aces, my man had Kings, & we dutifully managed to get all the chips in the middle pre-flop via incremental Raises. We both setted, so that's a grand start. Literally.

It went a bit tits up later though. The Table was incredibly soft, but because everyone was playing so deep, it was scary stuff.

Eventually, I clashed with Derex Baxter, who had about £8k behind, it was like David v Goliath.

I had  & we saw this flop.....

 

Bingo. For someone.....

He bet, I re-popped, & off we went, piling the money in. I was pretty sure he had the bare A, & I read him right. Running hearts, turn & river, purt me firmly in my place, & taught me not to sit at Tables that are outwith my pull-up range. I'm not sure I'd play it anty different, on reflection, just not sit at Tables where I'm so out-gunned - he's never gonna pass to a £2k stack when he has a £8k stack, now is he?

Damn. I'd cleared nearly £2k in the DC at DTD on Sunday, & gave half of it back here. Damn damn damn.

Quite a crowd of "faces" turned up - Garry Bush included. There were 4 or 5 Russian guys I'd never seen before, too, one of them a lovely player.

Oh, & a valet, who sticks in my mind, for some reason. Let's not go there.

[tikay]

Wednesday was the £50 + £50 at Luton, & I was determined to Cash after dropping too much cash the night before.

I put my serious game-head on & cruised to the Final with a very playable stack.

With 7 or 8 left, I came one helluva cropper.

It was a lovely "playing" Table, with, amongst others, Alex Martin & smuzzles. These two guys have, shall we say, quite a wide opening range......perfect for my style, as I have such tight image, so I just re-pop them now & then to maintain the stack, & they run for the hills with their bags of poo. Easy.

Then it happened. smuzzles Raised, trying to cut-off Alex's supply-line I think, & I had A-J, so I shoved. I nearly died when "Hold or Fold" Mich, sat behind me, shoved, too, because she can only have two hands here.

So after concentrating all evening, deeply determined to cash to recover Tuesday's losses, I blew it. I hope Mich cashed deep, she deserves it.

I can't actually remember an evening's poker which was so much fun. Alex, Sicilian & Compo shared a Table, & the laughter was ringing out. The Arsenal - Plonkers match was on the Plasma, we were mostly Arsenal positive, but Compo was dancing & jigging, hooting & hollering. A really terrific atmo, worth the £100 for that alone.

I skipped the Cash-Game, still bruised from Tuesday night, & drove the 100 miles North in freezing conditions. Angell had the sulks, & went out as soon as I got home. I'm sure cats are closely related to women.

[tikay]

Thursday was my PTP night, & I ended up with a small profit. I don't think it makes sense to get heavily aggressive with the players (Clients...), not that I'm able to, anyway, so a small profit or loss suits me fine.

I was exhausted afterwards, it's quite stressful, trying to answer all the chat-box questions & not missing any.

I planned to go straight to bed after, but then Chili rang, & then I found myself embroiled on Simon Trumper's Staking thread, so it ended up as 4am bed. I was debating with Rick Trigg, who I like & respect. He tells it how it is, & gets quite aggressive at times, but he's as straight as a die.

We were debating the merits of "laying" poker players, which I don't much approve of. The notion of wanting a player to lose, in a Tourney I'm not playing, just sits badly in my mind. (I'm not suggesting Rick approves, either).

[Chompy]

Those Rusky fellas from the Western have been regular fixtures at Luton of late, seen at least three of them down there, not that I've been there a lot.
Last time I played at the Western a couple of months ago one of them was involved in the chop, they're all pretty wild players.

[ShatnerPants]

I'm a bit geeky with these things.

 

But......

But you hide it so well !!!

[tikay]

Another few days Offline from blonde, & it takes so long to catch up. Amazingly, after being Offline since about Friday (I think), on visiting the Mods Room - always the first port of call - there had been no blonde upsets, no aggro, peace has broken out. Glory be. Aside from a double-spammer, no Deleted Posts, either. Happy Days.

[tikay]

This is a bit awkard, but here goes......

On the Internet Board, Rookie has "outed" himself as Staking Shieldsy to grind out the cash-games & SNG's on blonde.

It's not for us to reveal these arrangements, though I was aware, but now he's gone public, I'd like to thank Rooks for this. In fact, Rooks has been playing some Cash on blonde himself. Top man.

He is not alone amongst the blonde "lads", because another prominent blonde has decided to invest some money into the blonde Cardroom, and again, many thanks to that man, who I'm sure will get plenty of action.

You cannot begin to imagine what a difference these decisions make to blonde Finances. Right now, it's not about profit, it's about garnering enough income to run the things we do, Live Updates, pay the wages, da de da. And we need the blonde Cardroom to do that more than ever now, because the advertising market has gone as flat as a pancake.

After steady growth, blonde Cardroom suffered a slump in early 2008, & remained totally flat for a few months, with income from the Casino & advertising keeping us afloat - just!

But September was much, much, better, a very significant upturn, & the signs are good that October has mirrored that - fingers crossed, we will have the October numbers in a few days, & the signs are good.

Anyway, I just wanted to say a big thank you to all those supporting the blonde Cardroom.

On Thursday, Rich & I have a Meet in London with a very large Shareholder in blonde, so this uptick has come at a great time.

Thanks.

[tikay]

A few busy days, so today I've pretty much sat-out, except to have a Telecon at 2pm, (just finalising details for Saturday's Sky Poker UK Tour Leg Two, at The Broadway), & writing my Blog, which was very hard work this week for some reason. Sometimes the words flow, other times they just won't come. I was, as it were, lexographically (sp!) constipated. Usually, I can write shite without a problem.

I did a Sky Pre-Record on Friday, then the Show, then stayed over, & another Pre-Record on Saturday. Those two Pre-Records go out, I think, tonight & tomorrow.

I took Saturday night & Sunday out, & had the most wonderful little 18 hour break from poker, culminating in the most wonderful home-cooked Sunday Lunch. Not my home, I hasten to add.

Then it was up to DTD for their Sunday night Tourney, finished 13th I think, followed by a little Hold 'Em cash-action, just really to share a Table with Tom, who I have not seen for a while, as I wanted to catch up with his Vegas tales. I dropped £340, not much I could have done about that, my Queens getting bested twice, & AK into Aces is not good. I was nearly felted again, but with £400 in the Pot, & holding TPTK, my oppo set me all-in for my last £30 - like I could Pass!

Chili was there too, & Finalled twice (3rd & 2nd I think) over the weekend, in Friday night's £100, & Sunday Nights scalper. She never played the £300 - Bankroll Management Rules!, God bless her - but she took a bad beat in the £200, when her Aces were turned over by Kings. I was supposed to go see her yesterday, but I'm going tomorrow now, she's wading through my mangled paperwork files & getting me organised.

I eventually raised my September & October Invoices (thanks Maria) for Sky Poker, it came to an arm & a leg. I really should keep up to date with these things.

Yesterday (Monday) I went & met my Bank Manager chappie. I've signed up for "Private Banking" (lol) with NatWest, probably had my leg lifted, but I do need to tidy up my financial affairs. He managed to sell me an ISA, to - at my age! Did he see me coming, or what?

But that aside, we had a good, 2 hour meet, & the jungle of my finances & various accounts has been simplified now. Again with Chili's help, I've sorted out, & given all my Share Certificates, to my Bank now, & have set up a BrokerLine Account. I dare not open it to have a look at my portfolio's worth though, it might depress me severely, given the Market moves recently. I've had most of my Shares since the Eighties, & some are worth less now than when I purchased them! But God bless St Modwen Properties. I paid 40p for them, they were £7 last year, & I imagine they are about £2 or £3 now, but at least it's a nice turn on the original investment, & they pay a nice Dividend too.

One thing the Bank Manager kept asking troubled me.

"You do have made a Will Mr Kendall, yes?".

Not entirely sure what point he was making, but I have had a lot of late nights recently.